Completing many Miles-Per-Hour (MPH). Martin Pritchard-Howarth (MPH) is doing an incredible sequence of IRONMAN and other events in memory of friend and family man Chris
Published on: 10/07/2026
Evie, Ali, Martin and Branwell
It was on Friday, 5th June, this year, when Chris Lewis, loving husband of Alison (Ali) and dad to Paddy and Evie, passed away having lived with bowel cancer for just over three years.
Chris with Paddy, Evie and Ali
Tributes for the professional care Chris received during his illness have been paid to Wirral University Trust Hospital (WUTH), Maggies’ Wirral and to Wirral Hospice St John’s.
Throughout Chris’s journey he and Ali were supported by close family and friends, not least Martin and his wife Anne, alongside Martin’s colleague, Branwell, his wife Jules and a host of other people who held Chris in high regard.
Ali, an occupational therapist and Anne, a paediatrician, both at WUTH had found friendship through their shared love of running and swimming.
Martin and Branwell are consultants in elderly care at WUTH and had become great friends with Chris over several years. With other pals they’d taken part in a number of personal and charitable activities.
In March 2023 they made their way to the Belgian region of Flanders to take on one of the most punishing challenges in road cycling, The Tour of Flanders.
Chris (front and centre) with Martin, Bran and pals
It’s a famous destination for cycle enthusiasts with 59 iconic routes over cobbles and bergs, the Belgian word for hills, totalling 230 kilometres which has to be achieved within one day.
Cycle in Flanders, the people who organise the event, underline the magnificent achievement it was for Chris and all the team as they state, a True Flandrien is a man or woman of steel. A heroic cyclist who never gives up, relishes a challenge and eats pain for breakfast.
Incredible!
Poignantly, it was very soon afterwards that Chris’s bowel cancer diagnosis was confirmed.
Ali had, and has, been very expressive about the care of the hospice’s medical director, Emma, and all the members of the hospice’s outpatients and Wellbeing Centre team and determined that fundraising for the hospice in Chris’s memory would help in some way to show their true appreciation.
“Chris was a great dad and a lovely man. A keen cyclist with his pals from the Brombay Bicycle Club and a member at MerseyTri.
Martin, Bran and many other people have been so supportive.
We loved doing sport as a family and when we‘ve had some time to come to terms with Chris’s passing, Paddy, Evie, her partner, Elliot, and I are planning to enter a half marathon in Italy in 2027. My sister Kay and husband Stan will come along too to look after the cooking and drinks.
Chris was so well supported by Dr Emma and the team at the hospice. He felt very welcome there and although he’d had pain for some considerable time the hospice took much of that away from him to make his last three or four months so much more bearable.
We’re forever grateful.”
Martin ready for Rustman Swim
Martin has taken up the mantle this year and, although he was planning a number of Ironman challenges this year to test himself, he is now embarking on all of his ultimate tests of endurance for the rest of the year as a tribute to Chris and a means to raise funds for the hospice.
He completed one triathlon, The Tours Métropole in the Loire Valley of France, only nine days after Chris passed away.
He’s also completed the famous Rustman (Wirral to Holyhead) 3/07/2026
There’s another 9 of them (at least*) to go and the rest of the list is here,
Martin brings it home
Banyoles (Middle distance European Championship (GB)) 19/07/2026
Ironman England (Leeds) 16/08/2026
Hellespont Swim (Europe to Asia) 30/08/2026
Challenge Almere (Holland) European long-distance Championship (GB) 12/09/2026
Lanzarote Ultra Triathlon 13/11/2026
World Long Distance Championship Abu Dhabi 22/11/26 (GB) *May not attend if trouble in the region continues
It’s exhausting just looking at the list. There’s over 1700 km’s of swimming, biking and running… without Abu Dhabi.
Astonishing!
Martin has put himself through some extraordinary feats of endurance down the years and is actually a member of Team GB triathlon in his age category.
In 2022 he had to overcome some serious complications when he developed pulmonary emboli (small blood clots in the lungs) while taking on the small matter of… Mount Everest! Between Camp 3 and Camp 4, around 25,000 feet, he became too ill to continue and was airlifted to a hospital in Kathmandu.
Happily, he made a full recovery and was (relatively) soon back into his Tri4life pursuits.
He’s also up for adding a ‘fun’ element for certain events. In 2025 he attained the Guinness world record in the London Marathon for the fastest marathon dressed as a three-dimensional plant (male). (Branwell also ran in a costume dressed as a book cover (see photo here) in tribute to the Roger Hargreaves Mr Men character, Mr Rush).
Martin’s World Record costume with Anne and Bran as Mr Rush
Martin’s wife Anne completed her own first marathon in London that day as they all raised funds for renowned disability charity, Scope.
Brilliant lady and amazing gentlemen!
So, now it’s the series of events listed above that awaits Martin in the rest of this year.
It’s an extraordinary commitment in itself, an overwhelming tribute to Chris and staunch support for Ali, Paddy and Evie and all their friends and family.
Everyone associated with Wirral Hospice St John’s is so thankful for your choosing us.
THANK YOU!
If you’d like to sponsor Martin in his epic challenges this year please visit his Just Giving page here www.justgiving.com/page/ripchrislewis
Many, many grateful thanks for your kind donations.
Bran and Chris on left and Martin centre on right with a well-earned refreshment!
